17 Celebrities Who Became Victim Of Casting Couch, The Dark Side Of Bollywood

The Bollywood film industry actually seems like an exotic topic of discussion, but there are several stories that remain behind the screen and never get disclosed. Casting couch is something that is akin to Bollywood and it is a topic of conversation for more than the last few decades. Questions like, Is casting couch in India real? What is casting couch in film industry? arise often in our minds. So, let us find out what it actually means.

Here’s what Casting Couch exactly means

The casting couch refers to a mentality in which directors and filmmakers take undue advantage and favor from aspiring film actors or actresses. The youngsters are provided with the filmy option in exchanged of sexual favors.

Many newcomers have to go through the mental and physical torment of casting couch in their lives as well as in their careers. Of late, celebrities started speaking about the issue and getting open about it, which actually throws light on the dark side of Bollywood.

Here we list Bollywood celebrities who have faced the casting couch in their career:

1. Surveen Chawla

The beautiful actress started her career in Bollywood with her bold style in the movie Hate Story 2 in 2014. She admitted the truth here by saying that she faced the casting couch in the southern film industry but she never gave up and continued her hard work.

2. Kalki Koechlin

She is among the few celebrities who have been vocal about the presence of casting couch. Kalki simply rejected the offers when she was asked to compromise for that.

3. Ayushmann Khurrana

Before establishing himself as an actor, Ayushmann Khurrana indeed was a well-known anchor on the small screen. It was during his struggling days some of the casting directors asked him to deliver sexual favors which he simply refused. Mr. Khurana also stated to the media that the casting couch is a reality in the tinsel town. He once said,

“I was a TV anchor, so a casting director directly told me that I would have to do it. So, I told him that if I was not straight, I might have given it a thought, but I can’t do it. So yeah, the casting couch exists, but eventually, it’s your talent or potential as an actor or performer which would last. You don’t need to give in to such stuff.”

4. Kangana Ranaut

The actress has known for her powerful screen presence revealed that once she was approached for the gratification of sexual pleasure which she declined.

5. Ranveer Singh

Bollywood’s handsome hunk has once opened up about the issue that how he was about to become a victim of the casting couch but he always considers his talent to be the superior so he never ever compromised on such things.

6. Tisca Chopra

Tisca Chopra herself revealed to the media how she was once approached for something like this but instead of compromising on such stuff she never put her dignity down. The Taare Zameen Par actress disagreed to be the director’s “bed squeeze”.

7. Rakhi Sawant

The item girl of Bollywood stated, “Girls in the industry have been exploited since the beginning, but now even the men in the industry are facing this”. It is sad that we have to live in this kalyug.

8. Maushmi Udeshi

The actress is candid about her experiences in B-town, she once said, “Unless you are born with a silver spoon in your mouth and belong to one of those powerful star families which have a great influence on Bollywood, people tend to take you for granted”.

9. Preeti Jain

The infamous casting couch scandal in Bollywood is Preeti Jain’s case which created massive controversy by putting allegations on the famous director Madhur Bhandarkar in 2004. Jain alleged that under the pretext of marrying and casting her in his film Bhandarkar used her on several occasions. The case was finally closed in 2012 when the Supreme Court acquitted Bhandarkar from the case.

10. Sameera Reddy

Revealing about the casting couch the prominent actress said, “It takes two hands to clap. Nobody is a victim. We are all just players”. Sameera’s word of advice for aspiring actresses is to not get influenced by B and C-grade filmmakers, as they might just be there to exploit you.

11. Priyanshu Chatterjee

The Tum Bin actor disclosed, “I was asked for a sexual favour by this man who promised me a film in return. But I didn’t believe him, and was right in doing so since the film wasn’t made”.

12. Mamta Kulkarni

The beautiful actress Mamta Kulkarni hurled Rajkumar Santoshi with casting couch allegations during the shooting of China Gate.

13. Suchitra Krishnamurthy

The Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa actress also openly spoke about casting couch incident and said that some of the incidents never get light because of the lack of evidence.

14. Sambhavna Seth

The Bhojpuri actress also revealed that whether male or female nobody is spared here from the issue of the casting couch in Bollywood and the film industry.

15. Payal Rohatgi

Payal Rohatgi also accused movie director Dibaker Banerjee by stating that once he offered her to be part of the movie by delivering him some pleasure but Payal simply refused the offer. Payal said,

“Dibakar came to my house and commented that I had gained weight. He asked me to lift my shirt and show him my stomach. I didn’t like it. I told him I was in no mood for jokes. But he did not agree. I told him to leave.”

16. Radhika Apte

Unfortunately, this talented actress also had to fall prey to the casting couch in the south industry. She once revealed that she was also approached by a Bollywood actor. Radhika Apte never gave up and always moved forward. The actress appeared in an Akshay Kumar film Padman, and many other Bollywood films and popular web series. She is the face of thriller and crime OTT TV shows.

17. Mamta Kabariya(Patel)

The actress accused the lead actor of casting couch during the shoot of the movie Paan Singh Tomar. The actress was shocked and disappointed by his behavior. She also revealed that there was also a slide that was circulated among the critics.

Casting couch was always a part of the film industry and it’s very much prevalent even today!